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CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 




Copyright 1915 
THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 






/r- a J^^/ 



©CI,AJ10a93 



Page Two 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 




In the Redwoods 




Si/ A. D. NORDHOFF 

S IN some vast cathedral, one looks up 
Through columns, carved and tinted deep by time. 
Up, up to where the light grows faint; and where 
Through windows, made by dust of ages dim 
A few pale sunbeams strive to force their way; 
So in the redwoods. Midst the columns vast 
Of nature's great cathedral, gazing up 
One finds the same dim distance and the same 
Pale sunbeam and the same dim, far-off light; 
But in the place of windows, filmed by time, 
Great interlacing branches, tier on tier, 
Set in a frame-work of the fern-like leaf; 
And in between, faint glimpses of deep blue, 
As if some master-hand, with earnest touch. 
Had painted every space, 'twixt leaf and branch, 
With tender color, like the Heaven's own. 



Page Three 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 





Many 2,000 
Years Old 



Enormous 
in Size 



T IS, indeed, "as in some vast cathedral" that one is im- 
pressed by the giant Redwood Forests of California. None 
but can feel the grandeur and sublimity of these mighty trees, 
though few perhaps can put their feelings into words as has 
the writer of this verse. 

Many of these very Redv^oods that one sees today \vere 
standing when the Wise Men of the East followed the brilliant 
star two thousand years ago. 

The enormous size that makes them so impressive is hard 
to realize. They vary from 150 to 350 feet in height and 
from 3 to 15 and even 20 feet in diameter. 

Living in the hollow of a tree might not be so bad as it 
sounds — if it were a Redwood tree. You could enjoy your 
regular bed— you could have tables and chairs — everything, 
just as you do at home. The illustration shows a home made 
entirely from a Redwood log. 



Page Four 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 



yja^ir. ; ■;• ---,j^3&- 






'^ yOHH I tWmf^L U'-ft ' J 




House Made from Redwood Log 



One of the 
monster Red- 
woods, hol- 
lowed out, 
would make 
an unbroken 
elevator shaft 
for the Flat- 
iron Building 
in New York 
City. It 

would tower fully 50 feet above the torch of the Statue of 
Liberty. Out in Santa Rosa, California, there is a church, 
seating 500 persons, built — seats, pulpit and all— from the 
lumber of one Redwood tree — 78,000 feet, plus several 
thousand shingles. 

In speaking of the Redwood we refer always to the Sequoia 
Sempervirens, the tree that grows in extensive commercial 
quantities, as distinct from the Sequoia Gigantea, or so-called 
"Big Tree" Redwoods that grow only in scattered patches in 
the Sierra Nevadas. 

The Redwood, then, is essentially a California tree, except 
for a few hundred acres in Oregon, and is found 
nowhere else in the world. It belongs, hov/ever, to 
the same gen- 
eral family as 
the Southern 
cypress and 
Western red 
cedar, and 
possesses 
many quali- 
ties in com- 
mon "with 
these woods. 
It is confined 
for the most 'i_ 

pclll lO llie Church at Sanla Rusa, CaUfornia, Made from Lumber from Single Redwood Tree 




Taller than 
the Statue 
of Liberty 



The Two 
Kinds of 
Redivoods 



Page Five 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 



Where the 

Redwood 

Grows 



Tqinidad 
Eureka 

SCOTIA< 



Northern Counties — Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino. 
Growing on the Pacific Slopes of the Coast Range, the Red- 
wood, as shown on the map, forms a narrow strip along the 
Pacific varying from 10 to 35 miles wide and some 300 
miles long. The other isolated patches further south are not 
of commercial importance. 

Redwoods grow very close together and thus, with their 
A Century's enormous size, the average will run from 75,000 to 100,000 
Supply board feet per acre. A single acre of these forests has yielded 
as high as 1,000,000 board feet. 

It is estimated that there is standing today about 75 billion 

feet of Redwood timber. At the present 
rate of production there is over a cen- 
tury's supply within this comparatively 
limited area in California. 

Paradoxical as it may seem, America's 

oldest tree is the least known and the last 

A to be put to extensive use in the service 

jm of mankind. It was not until 1850 that 

\|Bl any Redwood was cut for the market, 

^^ Sacramento \ True, the early Spaniards near San 

^^ ® \^ Francisco Bay had cut some for their 

immediate use, and Russian set- 
tlers, about 100 years ago, em- 
ployed Redwood in their 
construction. But these 
operations were too 
small to be consid- 
ered commercial. 
Perhaps the 
most prom- 
inent of 
the early 
lumbering 
enterprises 
was that 
of the 
Redwood 



San Francisco 




The Black Areas 
Show the Only 

Redwood Forests 

of Commercial 

Importance in 

the World 



Page Six 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 



Lumber Manufacturing Company, formed in 1850 and incor- 
porated in 1853. It was managed by Henry Meiggs, who 
brought machinery around the Horn and started logging and First 
milling at the mouth of the Big River. Heretofore all lumber Commercial 
used in California had been brought from the Eastern States Logging 
and Europe by way of Magellan Straits. Consequently, it 1850 
was very expensive. It was this fact that prompted Meiggs — 
a man of large ideas — to develop a local supply. 

The account of the difficulties that w^ere met with and 
overcome in establishing this mill and getting it started, reads 
more like one of Fennimore Cooper's romances than the story 
of a business enterprise. 

From this small beginning the industry has grown steadily. Output Now 
Today there are 18 or 20 large mills with a total annual out- 600,000,000 
put of some 550 to 600 million feet. Feet Yearly 

In those parts of California where Red^vood grows it was 
originally, and in fact still is, used for general building pur- 
poses, including studding, joists, flooring, inside and outside 
finish, but as people generally got better acquainted with the 
individual characteristics of Redwood lumber, they appre- 
ciated the fact that it had peculiar qualities fitting it for certain Qualities Not 
uses in a degree not possessed by other woods or other Possessed 
materials. In other words. Redwood is a specialty wood, and hy Other 
it is the purpose of this book to explain these properties of Materials 
Redwood, and suggest uses to which it should be put. 

In California these facts are commonly known, but east of 
the Rocky Mountains and in foreign countries trade has 
developed slowly, due both to lack of knowledge and poor 
transportation facilities. In spite of this, the extreme beauty 
and durability of the wood has partially overcome these dis- 
advantages, and even now eastern and foreign shipments 
amount to about 150 million feet annually, divided about 
equally between this country and abroad. With the new 
facilities for rail and water transportation described later in 
this book. Redwood becomes easily available in every part 
of the world, and the natural merits of the wood will now 
win for it the recognition it deserves. 

Page Seven 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 



Properties of Redwood 



Light and 

Easily 

Worked 



Does Not 

Shrink, 

Warp, or 

Swell, When 

Properly 

Dried 



Buried 600 

Years — 

Makes 

First Class 

Lumber 



Redwood is light and soft, yet firm. It works easily and 
holds nails ^vell. Dry weight of wood, 26.2 pounds per cubic 
foot. (Any wood under 30 is regarded as light. Cypress is 
27.6). 

One of the greatest problems that the Redwood manufac- 
turer has had to solve has been that of proper seasoning. 
Redwood, like all other woods, will shrink \vhen green, but 
unlike others, there is practically no shrinkage, warping, or 
swelling when it is thoroughly dry. This "staying put" quality 
makes it extremely valuable for many particular and exacting 
uses, such as pattern v/ork, organ pipes, incubators, silos, etc. 
A detailed description of one of the best methods of seasoning 
Redwood ^vill be found later in this book. 

Resists Decay 

Redv/ood is not susceptible to rot influences, resisting the 
action of weather, ^vater and underground conditions as few 
other woods do. In Humboldt County, California, a Red- 
wood log was found bound down by the roots of a spruce 
tree that had just been cut. The annular rings of the spruce 




Page Eight 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 




Townsend Street, near Sixth, San Francisco, Looking East. Redwood Warehouses Unharmed by Fire Which Raged Across the Street 

tree showed it to be 600 years old. The Redwood log had 
remained buried all that time. It was dug out, sent to the 
mill and sawed into first class lumber. One of the reasons 
for this resistance to decay is assumed to be the peculiar acid 
found both in the bark and in the wood itself. This repels 
the fungi that cause decay. Another is the extremely slow 
development of the tree, even w^ith the damp, rainy condi- 
tions under which it grov/s. 

Buildings made of Redwood erected at Fort Ross, Cali- 
fornia, by Russian settlers in 1811 are still in an excellent 
state of preservation and are in constant use. Redwood fence 
posts dug up after being in the ground anywhere from 75 to 
1 00 years were found to be in good condition. 



Erected in 
1811. In 
Constant 
Use Today 



Made Fire Resistant by Nature 

Redwood, containing as it does no pitch or other resinous 
substances, is slow^ to ignite, and offers unusual resistance to 
fire. Forest fires sweeping through the underbrush leave the 
Redwood trees unharmed. 

As Redwood absorbs water readily, fire can be quickly 
extinguished once it has taken hold. At many places in the 
great San Francisco fire, in 1906, the conflagration was 
stopped v/here Redwood houses faced the flames. 



Redwood 
Contains 
No Pitch 



Page Xine 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 



San Fran- 
cisco Fire 
Furnishes 
Proof 



Burns Much 

Slower — 

Easier to 

Extinguish 



Just following the fire, the Building Committee appointed 
by the Mayor to determine the character of building materials 
to be permitted in the work of reconstruction, adopted the 
following resolution: 

"RESOLVED that no permits shall be given at the present time for 
the construction of any buildings in San Francisco, but owners of 
property will be allowed to proceed and erect upon their premises 
one-story buildings constructed of galvanized iron or Redwood without 
a permit." 

P. H. Shaughnessy, Chief Engineer San Francisco Fire 

Department, writes: 

"After an extended experience of more than 22 years in active con- 
nection with the San Francisco Fire Department, the results of my 
observation convince me that under similar conditions of heat exposure 
Redwood lumber ignites much less quickly and burns much more slowly 
than pine or other kinds of resinous, soft building woods with which I 
am familiar, and I am also convinced that when Redwood becomes 
ignited the fire is much more easily extinguished than in the combustion 

of or other soft building woods. The reason for these differences, 

I think, is largely owing to the fact that Redwood is well known as a 
non-resinous wood." 




Twentieth Street, Between Mission and Lexington, San Francisco. The Fire Stopped at These Redwood Houses 

The Telephone Poles Are Also Redwood 



Page Ten 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 



-TS-Z A^ 



' -va. 



Government Tests 




N STRENGTH and stiffness, Redwood compares favorably 
\vith other lumber. Government Bulletin 108, Department 
of Agriculture, entitled "Tests of Structural Timbers," says: 
"Redwood is one of the most desirable species from which 
heavy structural timbers may be secured." 

Following are figures gathered from tests made with 
different kinds of lumber by the United States Forest Service 
experts : 

Modulus of Rupture (breaking strength when tested as a beam): 8,000 
pounds per square inch on pieces 2x2x30, at moisture of 15.7% (Forest 
Service). This is 62% that of white oak. 

Breaking Strength of various woods: 

Redwood 8,000 pounds 

Breaking Western Red Cedar 10,500 

Strength Southern White Cedar 6,300 " 

Northern White Cedar 7,200 

Cypress 7,900 

Factor of Stiffness ( resistance to deformation ) : 

Redwood 1,140,000 pounds square inch 

Factor of Western Red Cedar 1,460,000 

Stiffness Southern White Cedar 910,000 

Northern White Cedar 750,000 

Cypress 1,240,000 

Redwood is equal in strength to cypress, slightly stronger 
than Eastern cedars and slightly weaker than Western cedars. 

Government Circular 193, Department of Agriculture, 
Forest Service, entided "Mechanical Properties of Redwood," 
says: "In bending and compression at right angles to the grain. 
Redwood is about four-fifths as strong as Douglas Fir, while 
in shearing strength and compression parallel to the grain for 
small, clear specimens, the two species are practically equal." 

Page Eleven 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 





WAX FINISH: In this as in all other finishes, first carefully scrape and 
sandpaper surface of wood until grain is perfectly smooth. Then apply two 
coats of any good wax thinned out, 1 pound of wax lo 1 gallon of turpentine. 
Allow 24 hours for drying between coats. When last coat is dry, rub up 
carefully and thoroughly with a stiff brush and finish with a cloth. Where 
a uniform color-effect is desired, add to the wax Vx ounce ground burnt 
sienna and !4 ounce Van Dyke brown ground in Japan. 



JAPANESE BROWN: Burn surface of wood evenly with a painter's lamp 
until it is all thoroughly charred. Clean of? with stiff brush and wash with 
alcohol. No wax, varnish or shellac should be applied. This also produces 
a beautiful effect on vertical grain stock. 



Different effects can he produced by v 
well to experiment on sample pieces 



A Wonderful Interior Finish 




EDWOOD is particularly adapted for all classes of interior 
work, from the simplest to the most ornate, from the modest 
bungalow to the costly mansion. It is exceptionally valuable 
for paneling and doors, for it does not swell, shrink, warp or 
crack. Doors made of this lumber are light, strong and prac- 
tically impervious to changes of climate. 

Clear Redwood is remarkable for its even grain and free- 
dom from knots or blemishes, so that it is unnecessary to 
select special pieces in order to achieve a handsome effect. 



Page Twelve 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 





COROT BROWN: Gives best results on hard slash grain material. Care- 
fully smooth the surface, then saturate 1 quart 26-deeree crude ammonia with 
4 ounces tannic acid powder, shaking powder intoammonia until precipitate 
forms in bottom. Follow one application with a coatof bichromate of potash 
wash ( 1 ounce bichromate in 3 pints of water) . Wax same as natural finish. 

''oportions of the mixture and it is 
ing these formulas on an entire room. 



SILVER GRAY: Prepare ihe surlace of the wood carefully. Apply one 
coat of solution made as follows: Bring to a boil 4 ounces verdigris powder 
wiih '/i gallon strong cheap vinegar or dilute acetic acid. Bring to a boil 2 
ounces nutgall powder with Vi gallon of water. Mix the two and add 10 
ounces soapstone powder. Keep stirred while applying. When dry if effect 
is not gray enough add another coat. When dry brush off all loose powder 
and wax as directed for natural finish. Then putty all nail-holes, mixing the 
putty three shades darker than the wood color. Use plaster of paris to stiffen 
the putty and let it dry for 24 hours before applying a second coat of the wax. 



A great variety of grains are obtainable, ranging all the way 

from the plain grain of the straight logs to the curly grain of Any Style 

the stump-wood and roots, and the complicated and beautiful Finish 

burls. These grain effects, taken with the range of color from Obtainable 

light cherry to darkest mahogany, provide the builder with 

an almost infinite number of combinations. 

Even in its natural state Redwood makes a beautiful finish, 
and by waxing, its natural color may be preserved. The fibre 
of the wood and entire absence of pitch permit it to take and 
hold the stains and varnishes through which the great variety 
of finishes may be obtained. 

A few of the popular finishes are shown here, but it is 



Page Thirteen 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 



ci,. 




Above— Dining Ruui.. Wo, ,,»,„.„] o„.i li.amoJ m Redwoo.i-Kesidence of Charles Pillsbury, Lake Minnelonka, Minnesota, tdwin H. Hewitt. ARhilect 
Below— Dinine Room Finished Entirely in Redwood— "Darlington," Residence of Emerson MacMillan. Rumapo Hills. New Jersey. James Brite, Architect 



Page Fourteen 



THE 


PACIFIC 


LUMBER 


COMPANY 




_-^-... _:____.:^v_^.. :: 


— - _^..__ 


- TfTiprTiSir.TTT^ .•r^--' - 



impossible to reproduce the full values of the finishes them- 
selves. This particular use of Redwood is a subject of such 
magnitude that it requires treatment in a separate book, which 
will be sent upon request. 

Illustrations are also given of Redwood interiors. Among 
the best examples of the great variety of finishes that may 
be obtained with Redwood are the offices of The Pacific 
Lumber Company, occupying the seventeenth floor of the 
Hobart Building, in San Francisco. See pages 31 and 32. 

For All Kinds of Exterior Work 

So durable is Redwood that shingles and siding made of 
this wood frequently wear out before they rot. At the 
World's Fair in Chicago, in 1893, were exhibited shingles 
from the roof of the old quarters of General Grant at Fort 
Humboldt, Eureka, California, in 1853. When General 
Grant was first stationed there the shingles ^vere in service, 
and 40 years afterwards were still in use — sound, although 
worn thin by wind-driven sand. The Redwood door and 
window frames of the old fort building were still well pre- 
served after more than 60 years' exposure. 



Redwood 

Finish 

Book 



Redwood 
Shingles 
and Finish 
in Use Sixty- 
Years and 
Still Sound 




A Redwood Exterior— Residence of W. W. Fuller, Briarcliff Manor, New York. Arthur T. Remick, Architect 
Page Fifteen 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 




The Home of Redwood," at Panama- Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, 1915. Louis C. Mullgardt, Architect 



In First 

Class 

Condition 

After 42 

Years' 

Service 



No Lumber 

Can Fully 

Take the 

Place of 

Redwood 



This paragraph, from a letter from A. Cottrell, Eureka, 
California, gives another interesting instance: 

"In the winter of 1870 I shingled my house at Eureka with Redwood 
shingles. They were not painted at that time. They were first painted 
about the year 1880, and again about 1895. The shingles were not 
removed from the roof of the house until September, 1913. They were 
in service 42 years, and on being taken off the roof were found to be in 
first class condition. Had they been painted when first laid and kept 
painted every few years, 1 believe they would have been good for 
twice that length of time." 

Practically every part of a house can be built of Redwood 
to advantage, but it is especially desirable for foundations and 
all exterior work, such as siding, shingles, cornices, gutters, 
porch floors, columns, etc. Durable, proof against decay, 
resistant to fire, free from shrinkage and swelling— this wood 
seems ideal. For those places that are most exposed to rain 
and weather, such as railings, columns and floors of porches, 
and for use where there is contact v/ith the ground, such as 
sills, there is no lumber that can fully take the place of 
Redwood. 



Page Sixteen 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 



The following extract, from a letter from Whiting Wreck- 
ing Co., Los Angeles, refers to a typical case: 

"Regarding the lasting qualities of Redwood, when laid upon the 
ground for foundation work, or any other place where it is exposed, I 
believe the same will outlast any other lumber. As an illustration: Last 
year we wrecked some old buildings where the new annex of the 
Hotel Alexandria is built. I was informed upon good authority that the 
buildings had been there for the past thirty-five years. The foundations 
which these buildings rested upon was 3x12 Redwood plank simply 
laid on the surface of the ground. There were at least 25% of these 
planks that were entirely sound. I do not think there were more than 
three or four planks that were decayed more than 2S% of the thickness, 
notwithstanding that they were exposed to the dry and damp weather 
for that number of years." 

It may be interesting to note, in this connection, that this 
3x12 plank was afterward ripped into 3x4 and cut into 
short lengths for fence posts, performing the work fully as 
satisfactorily as new lumber. 

Pergolas and Greenhouses 

Redwood pergolas, summer houses and fences, whether 
unpainted or painted, will outlast many years those made of 
other woods not possessing similar qualities. No better lum- 
ber exists for use in greenhouse construction. It is not 
affected by the wet earth in the "benches," or by the differ- 
ence in temperature between the outside and inside atmos- 
phere at any time of year. Constant repairs due to decay, 
warping and twisting are avoided when the greenhouse is 
built entirely of Redwood. 



Remarkable 
Lasting 
Qualities 
of Redwood 
for Foun- 
dations 



Repairs Are 
Avoided 
When 
Redwood 
Is Used 




Redwood Greenhouses Erected by King Construction Co., at Newton Falls, Ohio. Each 400 Feet Long by 50 Feet Wide 
Page Seventeen 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 



Red\vood on the Farm 

The Ideal In addition to shingles, siding and all 'round use in the con- 
Material struction of farm buildings there are several special farm uses 
for Silos that call unmistakably for Redwood. 

The most important of these, or the one growing in impor- 
tance most rapidly, is silo construction. A wooden silo is the 
most economical, and if made of the right lumber, the best 
Redwood form of construction. The trouble with wood silos has been 
Lasts that they require the most attention when empty in summer 
Longer time, w^hen they are most liable to be neglected. The hot 
— Keeps weather shrinks the staves and the hoops get loose, sometimes 
Silage causing the silo to "fall to staves." When Redwood is used 
Better this trouble is entirely avoided, for this lumber is not affected 
by any changes or extremes in temperature or moisture. 
Neither is Redwood affected by the chemical action of the 
silage, as are other w^oods and cement. 

Following are extracts from a letter from a prominent silo 
manufacturer, the McClure Company, Saginaw, Mich. : 

" It is our ambition to 
push the sales of Red- 
wood and eventually 

make it replace 

entirely in the construc- 
tion of the Saginaw silo. 

" It has been positively 
demonstrated to us in the 




Redwood Silos on Farm of Henry Ford 



Page Eighteen 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 




actual use of Redwood silos that Redwood makes the ideal silo material. 
The fact that Redwood does not shrink or swell, is possibly the greatest 
advantage in silo construction. Then again, there is the permanency 
of the structure, due to the rot-resisting quality of the w^ood. 

"We are enthusiastic about Redwood; our salesmen are enthusiastic 
about it, and they are pioneering in sections of the country that have 
never heard of Redwood." 

Fences, particularly the posts, should be made of Redwood 
because of its imperviousness to all forms of decay. Hitch- 
ing posts of RedAvood will not be gnawed by horses on 
account of the acid which the wood contains. This also 
renders it immune to the attacks of insects. 

Among special uses for Redwood on the farm may be 
mentioned greenhouses, hot bed sash, bee hives, and incuba- 
tors. For the latter it is now^ more generally used than any 
other wood, because the contrast between the heat inside and 
cold outside does not cause it to shrink, swell or split. 

For Containers of All Kinds 

Being unaffected by exposure to weather and water or 
contact with the ground. Redwood has proved its worth for 
wells, tanks, v/ater and feed troughs, flumes, pipes, drains, 
culverts and cesspools. 
For instance, bored 
Redv/ood logs used as 
water mains at Fort 
Bragg, California, are 
still sound and tight 
after thirty-five years' 
service. The Spring 
Valley Water Co., sup- 
plying the city of San 
Francisco, is still carry- 
ing "water through 
flumes built of Red- 
wood, 30, 40 and 50 
years ago. One large 
manufacturer of Red- 
wood stave pipe says 



Jk 




Special 
Uses on 
the Farm 



Redwood 
Pipe Perfect 
After 35 to 
50 Years 
of Service 



Kedwood Wafer Tank 



Page \ineieen 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 



that this form of pipe will last 30 to 40 years. Many rail- 
roads, particularly in the West, use Redwood almost entirely 
for water tanks. In the oil fields it is used for oil storage 
tanks very successfully. 

The California Wine Association, as well as the indepen- 
dent ^vineries, use Redwood tanks exclusively for storing and 
ageing all their wines. This proves conclusively that there is 
absolutely no taste, stain or smell to Redwood after it has been 
seasoned and washed. (All Redwood tanks after erection 
should be filled with water and allowed to stand for 24 hours, 
then this ^vater drawn off and refilled for another 24 hours. 
This will remove any trace of coloring due to the preserva- 
tive acid found in Redwood alone.) 

It is also particularly adapted to w^ater tanks, tanning vats 
and leaches, brewers' tanks and vats, cyanide plants, acid 
tanks and dyeing works. 

Redwood plank was used to build tanning vats erected by 
the Krieg Tanning Company of San Francisco in 1859. Hot 
water and tannic acid are not conducive to longevity in most 
woods, but v/hen some of the planks were removed from one 
of the vats after 55 years of continuous service (above 
ground, not buried as is often the case), they were found 
good for many a year more. President McKay of the Krieg 
Tanning Company writes: 

"We found the Redwood of which these vats were constructed to 
be perfectly sound, and we are, therefore, continuing to use the rest of 
the vats that were put up at the same time." 



For Con- 
tainers of 
All Kinds — 
Free from 
Stain, Taste 
or Smell 



Tanning 

Vats in 

Perfect 

Condition 

After 55 

Years 



Railroad Construction 

For any type of construction that is much exposed to the 
elements, such as bridges, culverts, telephone poles and rail- 
road ties, where water and earth conspire to produce decay, 
Redwood is the first choice of those who understand its 
exceptional qualities. 

The bridge shown in the photograph on the next page 
is built entirely of Redwood. It is 640 feet long, 144 feet 
high, and v/as constructed in 1906. A former bridge of the 



Page Twenty 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 



same dimensions, also of Redwood, was built on the same spot 
in 1884, and was wrecked by earthquake in 1906. At that 
time after 22 years' service the bridge was in good condition. 
The fame of Redwood railroad ties has spread all over the 
world. They are used in England, on the Continent of Europe, 
in India, China, the Philippine Islands, in South Africa, in 
Mexico, and in South America. This may seem strange to 
the uninformed, and it is due not only to the extraordinary 
durability of the wood, but to its freedom from attack by 
destructive insects, such as the white ant. 

On this subject the Peruvian Corporation, Ltd., Lima, 

Peru, says: 

"I have the pleasure of informing you that California Redwood 
sleepers or railroad ties are in general use on the railways of the cor- 
poration, and have given distinctly satisfactory results. In so far as the 
climatic conditions to which the sleepers are subjected are concerned, 
I would say that these vary very much on the different railways ; in 
some cases the sleepers are subjected to excessive dryness, and in 
others to perpetual moisture. In some instances these conditions are 
observable on the same railway, where a portion of the line is situated 
in a region in which it never rains at all, whereas another portion is 
almost always snow-covered." 



Redwood 
Ties 
Famous 
the World 
Over 




Railroad Bridge, 640 Feet Long, 144 Feet High, Built Entirely of Redwood 



Page Twenly-one 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 



Immune 

from the 

Attacks of 

White Ant 



Ties Laid 

25 Years 

Ago Still 

in Service 



Worn Ties 

Serviceable 

for Fence 

Posts 



From Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico : 

"The white ant is found on that part of the Southern Pacific Railroad 
of Mexico traversing the State of Sinaloa and the Territory of Topic. 
Through this State and Territory we have used the Redwood ties in 
considerable quantities, but so far we have observed no destruction by 
the white ant. In fact, we believe that the Redwood tie is immune from 
the workings of this insect. 

"As to the non-inflammability of Redwood, it is a well-known fact that 
it will char under intense heat, but that it does not burn readily." 

After experimenting -with all kinds of woods, some of them 
even imported, two great transcontinental systems, the South- 
ern Pacific and the Santa Fe, have selected Redwood in 
preference to all other woods, where freight is not prohibitive. 
Read this letter from the Southern Pacific Company : 

"As indicating the great life of this timber against ordinary decay, I 
have pleasure in informing you that we have today left in side tracks, 
not very much used, some Redwood ties which were put into service in 
1855. On other parts of the line we have in service many ties that 
were laid from 20 to 25 years ago. 

"For the siding and roofing of cars, for the foundations, siding and 
roofing of buildings, and for water tanks, this timber is the most durable 
of any that I know of, and when used for building purposes it has the 
very valuable quality of not being easily set on fire, and when set on 
fire it burns very slowly." 

The following from E. O. Faulkner, Manager of the Tie 
and Timber Department of The Atchison, Topeka and Santa 
Fe Railway System, is of special interest : 

"Until the last year or two our use of Redwood for ties has been 
confined to the Valley and Los Angeles Divisions, our experience on the 
latter, as you know going back to the construction of the road over 26 
years ago. On the Visalia branch there are thousands that have been in 
16 or 17 years, and the last time I saw them they were still in good shape. 

"Of our Redwood ties taken out after long service, fully 80 per cent 
are for mechanical wear, and of these not less than, say, 40 per cent are 
still of service for fence posts, and when we do not need them for this 
purpose, there is a good market outside for them at from 10 to 12 cents 

each, which, of course, reduces the cost per tie-year to that extent; 

The Redwood tie does not need treating, and it generally 

lasts its mechanical life without this, which is again a saving. 

"We have had a lot of Redwood ties in service on our main line 
Mountain Divisions, with big tie plates of course, and I expect shortly to 
advise their more general use on the main line, with tie rods, on curves, 

and thus cut out our expensive hard woods after using 

other switch ties at a very much higher value, and to less profit, we 
are now coming back to the Redwoods, and our old section foremen 
are much pleased with the change." 



Page Twenty-two 




THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 



Commenting on this letter, Mr. A. G. Wells, General Man- 
ager of the Santa Fe Railway, says that it 

"so fully covers the ground as to leave me nothing to say, further than 
that I endorse his statements, and besides being able to produce ties 
which have been in the track, twenty years, I could find some on our 
Fallbrook Branch which have been in track twenty-five years and are 
still good." 

Pattern makers like Redwood because it is possible to get 
wide, clear pieces free of defects, and use it because it is easy 
to w^ork and does not warp, shrink or swell. Likewise on 
these accounts and because of its tonal qualities, this lumber 
is used in musical instruments — for veneer cores, piano cases, 
the w^ind chests and pipes of organs, for violins and harps. 

Californians have realized for years that Redwood was the 
most satisfactory v/ood for casket w^ork. It is light, dry, free 
from odor or stain of any kind, does not shrink or sv/ell, is 
easily worked to any pattern, lasts indefinitely in the ground, 
and a good quality is obtainable at a reasonable price. Eastern 
manufacturers are beginning to use it now and appreciate 
that they can buy it cut to exact size, in stock widths or 
put together on the Linderman machine, avoiding all waste. 

Manufacturers of doors, furniture, and other veneered \vork, 
and pianos use Redwood shorts for cores, on which to apply 
veneers. Its freedom from warping and shrinking, the fact 
that the grain will not raise, and its relatively low price com- 
pared with other less desirable woods are the reasons. These 
cores can also be had worked on the Linderman machine. 

Redwood is rapidly coming into favor for cigar boxes. The 
color of the ^vood closely approaches that of Spanish Cedar, 
and where vertical grain stock is used the resemblance is 
remarkable. Redwood is free from taste or smell, and thus 
makes an ideal container for cigars. 

In many w^ays Redwood is similar to Red Cedar, and 
among other uses to which it has been put, both here and 
abroad, is pencil stock- It is furnished in slats of the standard 
sizes, largely vertical grain, and, except for the cedar smell, it 
is difficult to tell the woods apart. 



Miscellane- 
ous Uses — 
Patterns, 
Musical 
Instruments 



Casket 
Shells and 
Boxes 



Veneer 
Cores 



Cigar Boxes 
and Pencil 
Stock 



Page Twenly-lhree 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 



Crane System Dry Lumber 

of Air-Drying Storage Shed, 

Lines, capacity capacity 

1 5.500 M a. 1 2,500 M ft. 



Planing Mill 20 Leaver Patent 

and Factory Lumber Dryers, 

covering capacity l.OOOMfl. 

3 acres weekly 



Sawmill "B", Output 

250 M ft. per day 

of 10 hours 



Lodging House. 

Cook House and 

Cottages for Mill "B" 



^ 



LogS 

Poi 

capf 

40,001 




Plant of The Pacific Lumber Company at Scotia 



THE PACIFIC Ll 




Organized 

in 1869 — 

Paid 

Capital 

$9,133,000 



Planing 

Mill Covers 

3V2 Acres 



T SCOTIA, up in Humboldt County, California — 30 miles 
south of Eureka and 265 miles north of San Francisco — is 
located the largest Redwood plant, the mills of The Pacific 
Lumber Company. In these mills the Company produces 
some 125 million feet a year, or over 20 per cent of the total 
annual Redwood cut. 

The Pacific Lumber Company is one of the oldest concerns 
in the Redwood business, having been originally organized in 
February, 1869. It has today a paid capital of $9,133,000, 
owns thousands of acres of Redwood timber, and the entire 
city of Scotia, which through the Company's operations has 
come to be known as the "Home of Redwood." 

The tw^o great 3 -band sa^v mills at Scotia and the mam- 
moth planing mill, covering SVz acres, are equipped throughout 
with the most modern machinery and appliances. The Red- 
wood is handled entirely by an electrical monorail and crane 
system which reaches every section of the great air-drying 
yards, the Leaver Dry-Curing Kilns and the big storage and 
shipping shed where 1214 million feet of lumber may be 
stored at one time. 



Page Twenty-four 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 



Railroad Roundhouse 

and Oil Supply 

Tanks 



Lodging House, 
General Office Cook House 
Building and Cottages 

(or Mill" A" 



Sawmill "A", 
Stores and output 250 M ft. 

Warehouses per day of 10 

hours 



Dry Lumber 8 Leaver Patent 

Storage Shed. Lumber Dryers, 

2.000 M ft. capacity 600 M 

capacity ft. weekly 




ounty, California, in the Heart of the Redwoods 



[BER COMPANY 



The electrical monorail and crane system of lumber han- 
dling has been adopted more completely by The Pacific Electric 
Lumber Company than by any other lumber manufacturer Monorail 
on the Pacific Coast. Everything is done mechanically, and and Crane 
it is the perfection of this method ^vhich, among other things, System 
has brought about such enormous economies in the Com- 
pany's production. 

The lumber comes out of the mill on endless carriers and 
passes to the traveling sorting table. Here it is graded and 
chalk-marked, and traveling further along is thrown off in a Lumber 
pile w^ith lumber of the same grade and size. The completed Handled by- 
pile, now known as a "unit," is picked up by the traveling the Unit 
crane and carried to a flat car for shipment, or to the mono- 
rail yard, whence it can be moved to any part of the mills by 
one of the several electric monorails. 




Wharves and Storage Yard at Field's Landing, on Humboldt Bay, Showing Foreign Steamers Loadmg 
Page Twenty-five 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 




Electric Monorail Carrying a Unit of Redwood Lumber 

Leaver Curing Process 

HE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY believes that its 
responsibility as a Redwood Manufacturer does not cease 
with the sawing of logs into boards. 

It believes that a manufacturer should thoroughly season 
and dry his lumber before putting it on the market. 

Thorough This belief has become a creed \vith the Company, and it 

Seasoning is for this reason it has v/orked out with such infinite care the 

and Drying special LEAVER Kiln-Curing Process with which every 

Essential piece of "^^ Redwood is treated. 




Page Tn>enty-si.r 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 




Above — Electric Crane 



Below — The Sorting Table 



Page Twenty-seven 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 



Exclusive 

with The 

Pacific 

Lumber 

Company 



No Warping 

or Disrupting 

of the Fibre 



The Company has absolute faith in this process. It guaran- 
tees its Leaver cured product in every particular, for it knows 
that the finished wood can not be damaged by the change 
v/hich occurs in Redwood during the passage from the green 
to seasoned, and the seasoned to dry state. 

The Leaver Kiln Curing Process is used exclusively by 
The Pacific Lumber Company. It was conceived and in- 
vented by the man whose name it bears — an officer of the 
Company — and it is in the Company's own mills, at Scotia, 
that the process has been developed and perfected. 

In this process the Company is carrying out an ideal for 
which it has so long contended— that Redwood can only be 
perfectly cured in the temperature and under the conditions 
of its native air. By the Leaver system the lumber is seasoned 
or dried in the nat- 
ural out of door air 
from 60 to 90 days. 
Careful tests show 
that during this 
time 75% or 80% 
of the moisture is 
dried out of the 
lumber, and the 
drying process is so 
gradual that the 
wood is allowed to 
adapt itself natu- 
rally to the change 
^vithout any ^varp- 
ing or disrupting of 
the fibre, such as 
takes place when 
green lumber is 
dried out by the 
ordinary kiln-dry- 
ing methods. After 
the ^vood fibre has 
been "set" in this Hauimg om the Logs 




Page Twenln-cighl 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 




Alleys in Broken- On it Shed, lor Mixed Carload Orders. 80 M Square Feet in Size, with 1800 Compartments for Separate Storage 

of Lengths, Widths, and Grades. Adjoining Is the Main Dry Shed, 1 lOM Square Feet in Size, 

Capacity 1 2,500 M Feet, where Full Monorail Units .Are Handled 

Avay, the curing process is completed in the Leaver Kilns 
^vhere the chief disadvantage of out-door drying— extreme 
moisture from fog and rain — is eliminated and the precise 
conditions of temperature, moisture and circulation are care- 
fully preserved. 

In brief, the Leaver process is an exact imitation of nature . 

in those respects in which nature facilitates good lumber 
drying, and a distinct improvement on nature in those respects "^^^^^^f"^^'^ 
where she is harmful. 

At no time during the process of curing is the lumber sub- 
jected to a temperature greater than the heat of the sun's rays 
in the State of California — the Home of Redwood. The nat- 
ural temperature at Scotia, in the direct rays of the sun during 
the best drying weather, does not exceed 140 degrees, and 
the heat in the Leaver process is never allowed to go above 
that point. 



on Nature 



Page Twenly-nine 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 



New Transportation Facilities 

Make Redwood Inexpensive and Easily Available 



Direct 

All-rail 

Routes 



San 

fPANCISCO 



New 

Connections 

Provide 

Easier and 

More 

Economical 

Shipping 

Methods 



Up to 1915 there had been no direct rail connection with 
the Red^vood region. The lumber could be placed on the 
eastern market only by water shipment to San Francisco and 
Los Angeles Harbor where it was rehandled and reloaded 
for rail transportation to eastern points. This method was 
slow and expensive. It is now only a matter 
of history, for, as shown by the map, the 
Northwestern Pacific Railroad has completed 
its line into Humboldt County and Redwood 
can be shipped by all-rail routes to any part 
of the country. 

Almost simultaneously came the opening of 
the Panama Canal, and with it the possibility 
of marketing Redwood throughout the world 
in parcel lots of 25,000, 50,000 and 100,- 
000 feet, whereas, heretofore, it has been 
necessary to sell in cargo lots of at 
least a million feet in order to 
secure reasonable freight rates. 
These new transportation 
facilities have made pos- 
sible an easier and more 
economical method 
of making Red- 
wood shipments 
to the East, 
as w^ell as to 
foreign 
countries. 
They have 
brought 
R ed wood 
into the 




Page Thirty 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 



world market and put it in the class of inexpensive lumbers. 
Placed thus within the reach of all, the natural and distinc- 
tive advantages of Redv/ood are certain to become better 
known, and, as it is more fully appreciated. Redwood will be 
used in ever increasing quantities for the many purposes for 
which it is so distinctly fitted. 

Sales and Distribution 

The General Sales Offices of The Pacific Lumber Company 
occupy the entire 17th floor of the Hobart Building, 582 
Market Street, San Francisco. From here the general sales 
and distribution throughout the world are directed. 

The Eastern Sales Office, conducted under the name of 
The Pacific Lumber Company of Illinois, is located in 
Chicago at 3612 South Morgan Street. The personnel of the 
Eastern Sales organization is the same as composed the John 
D. Mershon Lumber Company, until recently our exclusive 
Eastern Sales Representatives. There also is the Quick-Ship- 
ment Depot where all grades of Redwood are carried in stock 
and from which shipments in less than carload lots can be 
made on short notice. 



Redwood 
Noiv Within 
Reach 
of All 



General 
Sales Offices 



Eastern 
Sales Office 
and Quick- 
Shipment 
Depot 




OfHce of General Sales Manager, The Pacific Lumber Company 



Page Thirlu-nne 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 




Above — Reception Hall, Tlie Pacific Lumber Compaiij 



Below — Office of the President 



Page Thirtg-two 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 




Branch 

Sales Offices 



Dealers are particularly invited to make use of the facilities 
of this Quick-Shipment Depot whenever they can not wait 
for a shipment to come through from the Coast, or when they Ready to 
wish to purchase small lots only. The establishment of this Co-operate 
depot was due to the need of a place where small lots of With 
Redwood could be obtained promptly, thus, to a certain Dealers 
degree, bringing the Redwood timber right to the doors of 
the eastern dealer. 

For the same purpose the Company has established branch 
Sales Offices in the following cities: 

New York, Metropolitan Bldg. Kansas City, Mo., Reliance Bldg. 

Saginaw, Mich., Bearinger Bldg. Worcester, Mass., 5 Lowell St. 

Milwaukee, Wis., 767 Marshall St. 

All Stocks will be invoiced from the Chicago office, how- 
ever, and all eastern accounts will be handled there. Corre- 
spondence should be addressed to the Chicago office or the 
nearest branch office. 

The export sales of The Pacific Lumber Company are 
handled through the affiliated corporation of A. F. Thane &j 
Co., with offices in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, 
San Francisco, California. A. F. Thane &j Co. also maintain Export 
European offices at 607 Tower Buildings, Liverpool, England, Sales Offices 
and at 91 Bishopsgate, London, E. C. They are represented 
in Australasia by J. I. Falk &^ Co., Sydney, and have agencies 
at the principal ports in China, South Africa and South America. 




Eastern Sales OfBce and Quick-Shipment Depot, Chicago 



Page Thirly-lhree 



CALIFORNIA REDWOOD 




A Train Load Cut from a Single Redwood 



The T. P. L. Co. Trade-mark 



For the 

Protection 

of Customers 



Stands for 
High Grade 
Lumber, 
Honestly- 
Sold 



The Pacific Lumber Company believes that a manufacturer 
should have confidence enough in his product to individualize 
it by the use of a trade -mark wherever that is practicable. 
Private brands are used in other lines of trade to distinguish 
the "better kind" from the "common variety," and to pre- 
vent customers being imposed upon through agents claiming 
to sell what they do not in reality handle. 

The copyrighted brand ,^^ of The Pacific Lumber Com- 
pany is used not only on all letter-heads, invoices, price-lists, 
etc., but on every bunch of shingles, every bundle of bevel 
siding, every moulding tag, every package of turned balusters, 
etc., and its use Avill be extended as rapidly as possible to 
include other products. 

As the trade generally become more familiar \vith ^^ 
Redwood, they will understand that this mark means good 
stock, well manufactured, properly dried and honestly sold. 



Page Thirty-four 



THE PACIFIC LUMBER COMPANY 



■^ T '^ 
P "'> L 

Trade-mark Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. 



Written and Designed by 

THE H. K. McCANN COMPANY 

San Francisco 



539 - 



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